Wednesday, April 20, 2016

I started learning swimming in my early 40s. Apart from swimming, the training process taught me quite a few lessons for life.

Swimming is one physical activity which cannot be taught by a physical instructor. It requires actuating your mental faculty -- body and mind together make you swim.

In very convention sense of the day, teacher shows you how to acquire certain skills or knowledge. You follow him/her and in a few efforts, you acquire what you had intended to. Teaching is over and improvement on newly acquired knowledge/skill is left to you.

Where as in swimming teacher can only guide. You cannot immitate him to learn swimming properly. The substance has to come from within you and on its own.

To me completing a 20m freestyle swimming was a big challenge. Used to get tired quickly, after crossing a few meters. Watched my coach innumerable times; went to Youtube and surfed through many training sessions videos over the net. But could not move an inch ahead.

Suddenly I realised that I was holding my body very tight unknowingly. The muscles were very tight. Now how to loosen, so that swimming becomes comfortable, is a rocket science till you realise that. You think, you are relaxing. It is very difficult for teacher to teach how to relax while swimming. He can only suggest you to relax. I also realised that mental tension directly affected relaxation. It took good amount of time for me to control my thoughts and relax my body in water and finally to complete a lap...!!!!

Now in our life some senior or elder show us the path of a good journey. How to tread on that path is again not teachable. We have to experience and just do it. Many times we think that we are in the right path as shown, but still target looks so elusive. It is again the same ....relaxing body from tension. Self learning...Body and mind in cohesion...

Education or Learning is a process of observation, experience and then take appropriate steps. Book is not a necessary tool for the education. Book contains some facts, which you may use to simplify the learning process. But your observation, self learning, comprehension and final analysis make you an educated.

Other big learning I had while swimming was being oneness with water. I drift trough the water as part of it -- smooth and inseparable. Adjust to its temperature -- cold or hot. Learn its flow and align yourself. Even use its density, if helps, to your advantage. When I become one with water, swimming becomes super relaxing and enjoyable-- not a strenous exercise.

In life, we need to have that oneness with our environment, society, family and surroundings. You can't seal yourself separated, because of your status -- financial or position. Life become strenous if you dont feel that oneness with complete surrounding. Again that oneness need to be experienced, not just by reading some thing.

I went to learn swimming, just as a sport or a good exercise to keep body fit. But it turned out to be a philosophy....